Bees and Flowers
by Crimson-Eyes26
Summary: Humanformers Universe, prequel to "Upstarts in the Making". Bumblebee lost his voice in the fight, and he's about to lose all hope...until a little girl, scarred even more, came into his life. Implied BumblebeeXOC, contains angst, supernatural, attempted suicide.
1. Out of the Darkness

Author's Note: This is the prequel to "Upstarts in the Making". This focuses on Bumblebee's relationship with my OC, Mimicus Prime, and it's in the Humanformers univers. Most of the humanformers are based on ones made by 72stars on Tumblr.

* * *

Chapter 1: Out of the Darkness

"It seems she's stabilizing now…"

"How long has she been asleep, Ratchet?"

"…Almost two days…"

Optimus sighed and stared at the bed in a makeshift-clinic, which housed a girl, no more than eight years old, almost mummified in bandage wrap. She was lucky…she had survived being beaten, stabbed, and thrown out of an air craft as it was taking off. The one who did this to her, it wouldn't be a surprise if she was telling her father and her old friends that she was dead, like her mother. The dark haired man pinched the bridge of his nose and exchanged glances with the older man.

"…Will she be able to wake up?"

"…Only time will tell, Optimus. Sure, she survived the worst ever done to her…but it's up to her to come out of the darkness."

While Optimus stared at the girl as she heavily breathed with the help of a respirator, Ratchet went over to check on another patient. This one was a male, and he was much older than the girl in the adjoining bed, probably just turned twenty years old. The elder man examined his neck, which was heavily bandaged. Not too long ago, Bumblebee was able to speak just fine, and he was actually the most talkative of the group who now considered themselves a family. But just recently…he had an encounter and his vocal cords were practically crushed. Ratchet feared he would never be able to speak again…

"Bumblebee…how are you feeling?"

"…" Bumblebee could barely even croak out a sound before he squeezed his eyes shut and felt warm tears stream down his cheeks.

"I know Bumblebee…I'll do the best I can, as long as it takes…but right now, there's an emergency to tend to…" He paused and glanced over at the girl's bed. "As you can see…"

The young man with a blonde Mohawk glanced over at the other bed and knew he was in much better shape compared to her. He didn't know her…but he heard from Optimus who she was related to.

The same person that took away his voice.

But…he couldn't hate her for it. It wasn't her fault…and she certainly didn't deserve what was done to her; what if she didn't make it through the night? If something happened…then the ongoing fight between the two groups would forever be scarred by a child casualty.

"Bumblebee, what are you doing?" Ratchet asked the young man as he got up out of the bed. "I haven't finished examining you yet!"

Bumblebee didn't reply; he couldn't anyway. He walked over to the girl's bed and just stared at her. Some of her crimson hair lay lifeless over her eyes and looked more like blood on her paler-than-usual skin. Her eyelids and the area surrounding them were dark, an indicator of trauma, and her hands and fingers were limp. Without thinking, Bumblebee took hold of her hand and massaged it. She felt cold…she wasn't already dead, was she?

'…_Who…are…you…?'_

The young man jumped at the voice he heard; it was like it came out of thin air. Was it…her? He continued to massage her hand, hoping for a sign of life. After all, she was just a child…she didn't deserve to die.

'…_Are…you trying…to help me…?'_

Without realizing it, his thoughts replied to this voice and answered, '_I don't want you to die.'_

As Bumblebee stayed by her side, Ratchet noticed that her vital signs were starting to improve…dramatically. Optimus noticed this as well and rushed over to see if it was too good to be true. The young man suddenly squeezed her hand, hoping she would squeeze back.

'…_Okay…I'll try…to wake up…'_

Suddenly…the small hand in Bumblebee's grasp began to squeeze his. She started to squeeze so hard her arm started to shake, but Bumblebee ignored whatever pain he felt. Everyone looked in time to see her blackened eyes slowly but surely start to open…and Bumblebee realized they were the most beautiful aquamarine eyes he had ever seen. The girl looked up at the adults surrounding her and immediately recognized one of them.

"…U-Uncle…O-Orion…?" She whispered through her breathing mask.

Optimus wore a somber smile. "It's Uncle Optimus now…Mimicus."

The weak but still beautiful aquamarine eyes looked up at the young man and Mimicus managed to whisper out, "…Who…is this? He…he saved me…"

Ratchet also plastered on a smile, for her sake. "This is Bumblebee… He's a patient, just like you."

Mimicus stared up at Bumblebee and blinked her eyes. "…Bumblebee…that's…a wonderful name…"

The young man couldn't help but smile. He wanted to tell her thank you…but he couldn't. However…the look in her eyes conveyed that she at least had an idea of what was wrong with him, and she didn't want to let go of his hand.

"Mimicus…you need your rest." Ratchet whispered before glaring at Bumblebee. "The same goes for you."

Suddenly, tears started to well up in the crimson-haired girl's eyes as the young man started to pull away. She held even tighter to his hand and her frail voice mumbled out, "…P-Please…d-don't go…I don't want to go back to sleep… W-What…what if I don't…wake up?"

Optimus calmly shushed her and brushed some of her hair out of her eyes. "You're no longer in danger, Mimicus…you're safe with us. And don't worry…Bumblebee will stay with you." He turned to the young man. "You will stay, won't you?"

Bumblebee stared at the girl before he firmly nodded. If he decided to leave her alone without a second thought that would be extreme selfishness on his part, and he's never been a selfish person. She was just a child…a child that lost her mother and felt like her father never cared; he was really the one who started this mess. And the person he heard she was closest to…even though he was a cowardly scumbag, he at least cared for her. And now…now they thought she was dead.

"I'll keep working on the both of them…and hopefully they'll both make a swift recovery." Ratchet sighed as he practically forced Bumblebee to get back into the other hospital bed.

Optimus nodded. "Understood." He paused and turned back to the child. "Mimicus…we'll do everything we can to make your life right again…"

Mimicus slowly nodded and hesitantly closed her eyes. Bumblebee turned his head to her and stared as she was fighting to keep from falling asleep. He felt absolutely awful; she was so afraid that if she fell asleep, she wouldn't wake up this time. The girl fought to keep sobs from escaping her lips until her eyes caught those of the young man across from her. All they did was stare…but Ratchet looked at them and it almost seemed like they were communicating…but how if no words were spoken?

"…Okay…I'll be brave…" The crimson-haired girl whispered.

After a few moments, she let herself stop fighting the fatigue and allowed her eyes to close and stayed closed. Bumblebee breathed a sigh of relief…and it was for her.

"What do you suppose made her change her mind?" Ratchet wondered.

The young man just shrugged, but he knew how…and it still seemed beyond belief to him.


	2. Pain

Author's Note: Bumblebee and Mimicus are still recovering, and as Ratchet continues to treat them, we get a guest appearance from a certain Wrecker.

* * *

Chapter 2: Pain

Mimicus woke up and found herself still in the hospital bed and hooked up to the ventilator. Of course, she felt like it was unnecessary now; she felt like she could breathe well enough on her own. She turned her head to the side and found that Bumblebee guy still asleep in the opposite bed. It was then that she realized the full extent of his injures, as indicated by the amount of bandaging around his throat. Even though she wasn't involved, she felt the awful pangs of guilt hit her…

And then she realized…it was morning. It had to be morning.

She made it through the night…

Looking from side to side, seeing if Ratchet was near, she brought her hands to her face and proceeded to try and unhook the breathing mask…until…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A stern voice called.

Mimicus cringed and saw Ratchet standing in the doorway, a not-too-pleased look written on his face. Obviously he had caught her right on time trying to take off her breathing mask before he even had time to clear her. The elder man sighed and trudged over to her bedside, grabbing a chart from a nearby table. The girl took note of his appearance…and judging from it, he recently did work on someone who didn't make it.

"…Mister…Ratchet?" She called out tiredly.

"I see you know my name; that's good to hear." He paused and took hold of her hand to feel her pulse. "…I am terribly sorry for what happened to your mother…and for what happened to you."

She really didn't want to be reminded of either event. Both were too painful to ever think about, more painful than the aftermath, which was how she ended up here. But she knew that Ratchet was sincere in his apology, even though he had nothing to do with it. She cast her eyes over to Bumblebee, who was still asleep.

"…I have an idea…but what exactly happened to Bumblebee?"

The elder man looked over at the slumbering young man and breathed out a sigh. "Well…Bumblebee was captured by the enemy and harshly interrogated. And…when he refused to give them any information…they slashed at his throat." He paused and walked over to check Bumblebee's bandages. "They barely missed his carotid arteries and jugular veins…but they permanently damaged his vocal cords. He'll…he'll never be able to speak again."

Mimicus stared at Bumblebee before squeezing her eyes shut, warm tears flowing down, and asking, "…My father did it, didn't he? He's the only one who would stoop to doing that…"

Ratchet froze for a split-second before solemnly nodding. The girl in-turn sighed and kept staring at Bumblebee. While he was sleeping…this was the first time he ever looked peaceful. In a sense, she was relieved…relieved that he wasn't in any pain right now. Her thoughts about it stopped when the young man slowly started to awaken. As soon as he opened his eyes, he grimaced and clutched his throat.

"Bumblebee, don't touch your throat!" Ratchet scolded. "I need to change your bandages." He paused and looked towards Mimicus. "…You may want to look away…"

The girl nodded and quickly turned her head away. Whenever bandages were being changed, there was always the chance of bleeding…and she was too terrified of the very sight of blood…all because she saw her mother lying in a pool of it. She could hear Bumblebee clutching the sheets in pain and his heels digging into the mattress. She wanted to turn to him and say that everything was going to be okay, but she was too terrified at the thought of him bleeding that she just stared into space.

_'…It hurts!'_

Mimicus jumped. Who was there? Wait…she remembered last night…what she was able to do…how she was able to communicate with him. Breathing out a long-held breath, she closed her eyes and cleared her head.

_'Bumblebee, I know it hurts…but it's going to be okay. I'm sorry I can't look…but please hang on…'_

_'But…why does it have to hurt!? Please…make the pain stop!'_

_'…Just be strong…it's not like I'll be going anywhere. I'm right here…'_

"Bumblebee, squirming around isn't going to help anything, now hold still!" Ratchet firmly commanded. "If you don't' hold still…you may get even more hurt than you already are…"

The young man froze and knew what the medic meant; if he squirmed around Ratchet could accidentally tear one of his arteries and cause him to bleed out, since they were all but exposed. So he decided to stay as still as he could as the medic placed fresh bandages on his wound. Honestly, Ratchet didn't have to make them so tight; he had trouble breathing as it is. Mimicus apparently sensed the medic was finished, as she turned back to face the young man.

"Bumblebee…I'm sorry you were in pain…" Mimicus mumbled. "…If I wasn't so afraid…"

"Mimicus, don't put blame on yourself; you caused none of this…and it's okay to be afraid…" Ratchet comforted as he went over and detached the breathing mask from her face. "The both of you just need your rest…"

"Doc!" An unknown voice shouted out. "I need a patch-up here!"

The three of them looked just in time to see a heavyset African American man come trudging into the medbay. He had deep gashes in his face and chest that ripped through his combat uniform. He leaned up against the doorframe and panted, obviously starting to get dizzy from the loss of blood.

"Bulkhead, how many times have I told you to not charge into battle half-cocked!?" The elder man shouted. "You're getting blood all over the floor!" He suddenly remembered something important. "Mimicus, look away!"

The girl sharply turned her head away before she could see a crimson red that wasn't her hair. She heard of this man…Bulkhead was once part of a combat unit called the "Wreckers" before he decided to stick with Optimus. Apparently he got into a scuffle with one of the members of the enemy side…her father's side.

"Hey Ratchet…is that…?" Bulkhead suddenly asked when he took notice of the child.

"Don't bother her Bulkhead." Ratchet quickly reprimanded. "She and Bumblebee are still recovering."

"…I-It's all right, Mister Ratchet…" The girl quickly intervened. "…I don't mind someone stopping by to say hello…"

The elder man couldn't help but sigh; for an eight year-old, she was much more formal than him…and she obviously didn't get it from her father. Bulkhead could only cock his eyebrow as the medic removed his combat gear to stitch up his wound.

"…How come she won't look at me when I'm talkin' to her?" The heavyset man asked.

Ratchet shot him an odd look. "…She's terrified by the sight of blood." He answered in a hushed whisper. "How would you feel if you found one of your parents lying in a pool of it?"

Bulkhead's eyes widened before he glanced down at breathed out a sigh. "…It's been that bad for her, huh? Any way we can help her?"

"Right now…we just need to give her a stable home…and it seems right now…she's come to trust Bumblebee."

"How is 'Bee? I heard he almost got his throat ripped out…"

The elder man frowned and glanced over at the young man for a split second before he decided to answer. "…Right now, it's touch and go…but it seems that Mimicus' presence is playing a positive role on his health."

Bulkhead's eyes widened once again. "…Really? Will he be able to talk again?"

"…I'm…not so sure…"

Before the two men could discuss any further, a violent coughing fit suddenly rang out. Ratchet turned to see Bumblebee grabbing a tissue off a nearby nightstand and holding it over his mouth. As his coughing started to get worse, Mimicus stared at him before climbing out of her bed and walking to his side, almost pulling out her IV line.

"B-Bumblebee? Bumblebee, what's wrong?" The girl frantically asked.

"Mimicus, get back in bed!" Ratchet demanded before running over to Bumblebee and patting his back. "Easy Bumblebee… If you feel like you're about to vomit, I'll fetch you a trash bin."

The young man quickly nodded and motioned towards a small trash bin sitting idly nearby. The medic grabbed it and could only watch as Bumblebee shoved his head in and retched. From what he could tell, some blood in his throat went down into his stomach and made him sick; the taste of iron did that to some. While watching over Bumblebee, he failed to notice Mimicus moving her IV holder to the opposite side of the bed and getting out once again to be by the young man's side.

"Mimicus, I told you to stay in bed!" Ratchet reprimanded when he took notice of her.

"…W-Will…will Bumblebee be okay?" The girl asked, completely ignoring Ratchet's demand.

The elder man's eyes softened and he brought his eyes back to Bumblebee. "…Since he can't swallow…I'll have to insert a feeding tube until his throat completely heals…but I still doubt he'll ever speak again…"

Mimicus frowned and clasped the hand that wasn't gripped onto the waste bin. "…We don't know that. Who knows…? He…he may be able to speak one day… W-We can't give up on him…"

"Mimicus…" The elder man breathed out before a sad frown plastered itself onto his face. "…I wish everyone were as innocent and optimistic as you…"

Bumblebee continued to violently retch until he was throwing up nothing but a pinkish liquid. He lifted his face out of the bin and gasped for air, his breaths shallow and faltering to mere squeaks. He cast his glazed-over eyes towards Mimicus, who had tears starting to flood hers.

_'…I'm sorry you had to see that. I feel better now…'_

_'…Is there anything I can do to help you feel better? I wish I knew how to heal your throat…'_

_'Don't worry…just keep believing in me like you've been doing…'_

_'…Okay…'_


	3. Accomodations

Author's Note: Bumblebee and Mimicus are still recovering, but the scout can only eat via a feeding tube until his throat heals. Mimicus feels awful that he can't actually eat while she can. How will they handle this new predicament?

* * *

Chapter 3: Accommodations

"All right, lunch time, Bumblebee."

"…"

"Don't give me that look; you're not getting it orally, so you don't even have to taste it."

Bumblebee's frown only deepened as Ratchet placed a bag of liquid nourishment into the feeding apparatus to go to the feeding tube leading to the young man's stomach. It was fortunate he couldn't swallow it right now; the mix consisting of meats and vegetables would've tasted awful. As he was being taken care of, Optimus brought a tray of food to Mimicus, which consisted of fish and a cup of fruit along with a glass of water. The girl quietly ate, feeling awful about having to eat in front of Bumblebee when he couldn't.

"Mimicus…is everything okay?" Optimus asked in concern.

"…Um…w-well…I feel bad that Bumblebee can't physically eat…" She mumbled. "A-And…I feel like I'm making it worse…by eating in front of him…" She turned to the medic as he finished inserting the food bag. "Mister Ratchet…when will Bumblebee be able to eat again?"

The elder man sighed. "It still won't be awhile; probably not for months…"

The child pouted. "…Well…I say it'll be just a few weeks; I believe Bumblebee will be better in no time."

Ratchet couldn't help but smile. "Honestly Mimicus…your enthusiasm is contagious." He turned his attention towards the other man. "So…how is everything on the battlefield?"

Optimus sighed. "…I believe right now everything is in a stalemate. We haven't seen signs of the enemy…but that doesn't mean the fight is over. We are just waiting for signs of survivors…and we're working on finding a new home."

"So we are somewhat at peace…for now?"

Optimus nodded. "…Let us not discuss the battle in front of Mimicus…she's been through enough…"

Ratchet slowly nodded and the two older men left the room. The atmosphere ended up being quiet, save for the silverware hitting against Mimic's plate. She looked over at Bumblebee, who had his arms crossed over his chest as the slop was getting pumped into his stomach. He was at least glad he wasn't in a hospital gown and somewhat exposed, but it still felt weird to be in a t-shirt and pajama pants in the middle of the day, and on top of that, feeling completely helpless…and useless.

_'…Bumblebee?'_

_'…Something the matter, Mimicus?'_

The girl sighed and started to push her plate still full of food away. _'…I don't want to eat if you can't eat… I don't want you to be mad at me…'_

The young man's face dropped. Sure, he was upset about not being able to eat normally, but that didn't mean Mimicus had to starve herself. He always heard that kids had the unique ability to, whenever something bad happened to someone else, figure out how it was their own fault. Mimicus didn't need to be one of those kids. He uncrossed his arms and strung the feeding tube between his fingers.

_'Mimicus, don't starve yourself; like you said, I'll be better in no time. So eat your lunch; it'll help you get better.'_

_'…A-Are you sure?'_

_'Don't worry about me…as long as I don't have to taste this stuff, I'm fine.'_

The girl slowly nodded and pulled her plate back towards her, resuming eating her lunch. Trying to eat as much as she could so Bumblebee wouldn't feel bad, she accidentally inhaled some and started choking violently. Fortunately, Ratchet was in earshot and quickly ran into the room.

"Mimicus, please don't eat so fast!" The elder man scolded as he raised the girl's arm and patted her back.

"…S…S-Sorry…" Mimicus gasped out.

Ratchet could only sigh as he picked up her plate and glass. "Just be careful next time; you should know better." He set the items aside and checked on Bumblebee. "All right, let's see if you're done."

The young man only sighed as he glanced over at the food bag and found it almost empty. Ratchet figured that what was gone was enough and proceeded to detach it and throw it in a waste bin. He closed off the feeding tube to prevent infection and checked over the main apparatus, which was sitting outside Bumblebee's upper abdomen. Satisfied with the appearance, the elder man patted Bumblebee on the shoulder and stated, "Very good. I'll check on the both of you later; remember not to try too hard when you go to the bathroom."

Once the medic left again, Bumblebee frowned and blushed. Did he really have to bring up going to the bathroom in front of Mimicus? Who was a kid AND a girl? To his surprise, he heard a faint giggle from the opposite side of the room. He turned his head and saw Mimicus covering her mouth, a beet-red blush on her cheeks.

_'What are you laughing about, Mimicus?'_

_'…Sorry…it's just…you look so funny when you blush.'_ Mimicus suddenly gasped and kept her hand over her mouth. _'It's so strange…I don't know how long it's been since I last laughed.'_

Bumblebee's eyes softened and he kept them on the child. _'…I guess you didn't have much to be happy about after your mom died.'_

_'…No…not really…and my father's attitude didn't make things any better.' _The girl suddenly hugged her knees to her chest. _'He always ignored me…and whenever I got hurt, he would just go into denial or get mad about it… But…at least Starscream paid attention to me…and now…now they all think I'm dead…'_

The young man sighed quietly and stared down at his feet. His parents died while he was a child, but he at least didn't find their bodies soaked in their own blood…and he wasn't beaten up and left to die like she was. So in a way, he could never understand her pain…and that was probably a good thing; that was something Mimicus wouldn't wish on anyone. He glanced over at her and studied her body. Her torso was still bandaged up, but the wounds on her face had almost completely healed, and she was able to walk around just fine. But that didn't mean the emotional wounds were gone…

_'Mimicus…I'll make a promise with you. I promise to help you have the best years of your life. I know that I can't bring your mother or your old life back…but I'll help you find some sense of stability…'_

Mimicus' eyes widened considerably and felt her lips start to tremble. _'Y-You…really mean that, Bumblebee?'_

Bumblebee nodded. _'I do. And you know what?'_

_'What?'_

_'…You're the best friend I've ever had.'_

The girl felt warm tears stream down her cheeks…but they weren't tears of despair or grief. No…for the first time in a long time…these were tears of joy. It must've been fate that she met Bumblebee…and she was glad she met him. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the bed sheets before calming down and looking back at the young man.

_'Bumblebee…can I see what a feeding tube looks like? I didn't see Ratchet put it in…'_

_'Huh? Oh, sure. Don't worry, there's no blood around it.'_

The child got up out of her bed and walked over to where Bumblebee was laying. Once she was in good view, he lifted his shirt and revealed the circular apparatus poking out of his upper abdomen. Mimicus placed the tips of her fingers over her lips to stifle a gasp as she continued to stare at it.

_'Did it hurt when Ratchet put it in?'_

_'He gave me some painkillers, so I didn't feel a thing. I just can't wait for him to take it out once my throat completely heals.'_

_'I see… I won't touch it since I don't want to give you any germs…'_

_'Yeah…Ratchet would have a cow if I got sick. I just hate having to take in that liquid food…looks gross, doesn't it?'_

_'…At least you don't have to taste it…it looks better than it probably tastes.'_

Bumblebee shrugged. _'True…though I could go for a burger right now.'_

_'…What's a burger?'_

The young man's eyes widened. _'You don't know what a burger is? You must've lived a sheltered life.'_

_'Unfortunately yes…but I'm glad Momma was protective of me. Actually…once you get better…I'd like to go with you and try a burger…'_

Bumblebee pretended to ponder, which Mimicus caught onto immediately, before he smiled and nodded his head. _'Okay, it's a deal.'_


End file.
